Around 60 thatched houses in a village near Bhubaneswar in Odisha were set ablaze on Monday in a revenge attack, reported PTI. Police said the arson is suspected to be a backlash against the recent murder of local stone crusher unit owner Sujit Biswal.

The incident took place around noon. The houses were reduced to ashes by the time fire tenders reached the place. Two tractors had also caught fire in the incident, police said. The number of casualties is unclear.

"Prima facie, we came to know that some supporters of Biswal picked up a quarrel with the people of Adibasi Sahi, a cluster under Dadhimachhagadia [the village]. Two of the prime accused arrested for Biswal's murder are from Adibasi Sahi. We strongly suspect that Biswal's supporters set the houses on fire at Adibasi Sahi," ADG (law and order) Satyajit Mohanty told the Times of India.

The attackers also hurled crude bombs at a police camps injuring at least three. "Nine persons have so far been arrested in connection with the crusher owner's murder. Two platoons of policemen are already deployed there. Three policemen were injured by the bombs hurled by miscreants," said Satyajeet Mohanty, ADGP (Law and Order).